Posts from the Past

The Safety of the False Self

The idea of the False Self is fascinating to me. In many ways, it comes from a very real place so to call it a False Self is a bit deceiving.

There is something totally normal about having False Selves. We can sometimes create a False Self for a specific situation that just keeps us safe. Sometimes we can create a False Self in order to get through a season. So taking my first idea – we technically create a self to get through things – but even though we call them False Selves, they end up being True representations of who we are.

I just read about how we can have healthy False Selves – that it helps us get through and get by in certain situations. It is normal to have them. We all have them.

The danger is not being able to snap out of our False Selves. It is possible to get so wrapped up in our False Selves that it eventually becomes the performance of self – and that we can’t snap out of it. Only a well-integrated identity framework can allow you to create False Selves in order to get through particular situations.